Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright

Chapter 11 – Space, Time, and Matter

1.  Space!  Early Jews located God’s dwelling place and space within the city of Jerusalem…and more specifically, within the Holy Temple.  Here, heaven and earth overlapped and shared a common space.  With the arrival of Jesus, suddenly this holy space is shifted to Jesus himself, who becomes “a walking Temple…a living, breathing place-where-Israel’s-God-was-living.”  We formally understand this as the doctrine of the incarnation…God becoming flesh. 

As a child, where did you think God “lived’ or dwelt?  Please list examples.  At what point did you come to understand God’s presence not confined to a building or place, but rather in Jesus?

2.  The Temple, however, wasn’t always held in the highest regard, especially by those who felt the religious leaders had corrupted its use and gained sole privilege for themselves.  A similar disdain exists for today’s churches and its leaders.  What are the similarities?

3.  Time!  The Jewish perception of time was grounded in God and creation…namely that God’s creation was both good and purposeful.  They were important participants in this unfolding divine drama.  The Sabbath was a key component of that purpose and drama…allowing Jews to see the Sabbath “as the time when God’s time and human time coincided.”  Now Jesus arrives and more or less announces that he is the culmination of all their Sabbath activity…the time of Sabbath is realized in his presence and in his ministry and message.

While Sabbath-keeping today takes on all forms of expression and timing for Christians, it nonetheless directs us to Jesus.  How do you personally benefit from Sabbath time and what does your Sabbath look like?  How do you use that time to reflect on Jesus and draw closer to God?

4.  Matter…reality.  “The material world was made to be filled with God’s glory.”  We see it in the healing stories of Jesus; in miracle after miracle by Jesus, something new was happening.  God’s glory, love, and desire to make all things new drive this reality.  The transfiguration of Jesus gives us insight into this reality. 

Our personal stories of transfiguration before Jesus may be less dramatic, but no less significant.  Consider your own journey with Jesus; where has his glory in this world shone forth for you?

5.  In my favorite portion of this chapter, Wright stresses that, “First, it will not do to suppose that Jesus came to teach people ‘how to get to heaven…it simply won’t do.’”  And, “Second, was Jesus, then, mounting some kind of quasi-military revolution?  Again, he concludes, “It won’t do.”  Third, neither was Jesus doing things simply to prove his divinity.  “The gospels are not about ‘how Jesus turned out to be God.’  They are about how God became king on earth as in heaven.” 

Looking at these three points, where do we, as Lutherans, stand “confessionally?”  In other words, what do our Apostolic and Nicene Creeds say to support Wright’s conclusions here?  Why do these matter in today’s fickle world of “believe whatever you want?”